Belt-tightener



`H. H. SAWTELLB.

BBLT TIGHTBNER.

(No Model i No. 312,659. Patented Feb. 24; 1885.

Nirn X TATES PATENT among HERBERT H. SAYVTELLE, OF LOVVELII MASSAGHSETTS.

BELT-TIGHTENER.

SPCIFICTION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 312,659, dated February 24, 1885.

Application filed November 28, 1884. (o model.) i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HRBERT H. SAWTELLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Belt-Tighteners, of which the following is a specification. i

My invention relates to bolt-tighteners; and it consists in improved means of clamping the ends of a belt and of drawingthem together and of holding them in position while they are beingjoined in such a manner as not to interfere with the operation of joining.

. In the accomp'anying drawings, Figure 1 is I a rear elevation of myimproved belt-tightener. Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a top View of the same with the clamps closed; Fig. 4, a top view ofthe upper clamp open; Fig. 5, a side elevation of the screw, shoulder, nut, and collar, and a central Vertical section of the ratchet, the collar which supports the pawl-lever, and the upper part of the yoke; Fig. 6, a section on thelinea; win Fig. 5; Fig. 7, a Vertical section through the middle of the upper clamp at right angles to the jaws of the same, Fig. 8, a side' elevation of the upper clamp open.

The upper, A, and lower, A', clamps are substantially a1ike,differing only in the means by which they are connected with the screw, each clamp consisting of twojaws or plates, a a', provided on their inner faces with transverse corrugations (L2, the front of each clamp being provided, on the inner face near one side thereof, with a threaded stud, a, rigidly secured thereto at right angles thereto, and near the other side, with another threaded stud, (L4, pivoted thereto at af. The hinged stud a4 projects through a hole in the back jaw, a', and the back jaw has a Vertical slot, af, to receive the rigid stud (L3. Handle-nuts B Bturn on the studs (L3 af, and draw the jaws a a' toward each other. It will be seen that the rear jaw, a', can be raised from the stud a3 by turning it on the stud ai, as shown in Fig. 8, and that the rear jaw can then bel swung away from the front jaw, as shown in Fig. 4, by turning the stud a* on its pivot i a. This allows the clamps to be applied to a belt the ends of which are joined at the time when it is desired to take up the belt before separatpassed through a hole in the top of said yoke,

and being retained therein by the collar E, surrounding said screw below the top of said yoke, and secured to said screw by the pin e.

adapted to be held by the clamp, of which the yoke forms a part.

Above the yoke Cis a ratchet-wheel, F,prevented from turning on the screw by a pin, which passes through said screw and through the hub of said ratchet. Above the ratchet is a loose collar, G, provided with earsgg, between which at g' is loosely pivoted the bent lever or pawl-lever H, the lower short arm, 71,, of which serves as a pawl to engage with the notches f in the periphery of the ratchet F, and the longer arm, h', of which serves as a handle to throw thepawl h into and out of engagement with the ratchet F, and to turn the ratchet and thereby to rotate the screw.

Above the collar G is au annular shoulder or collar, d, on the screw D. Bclow the shoulder d the screw is not threaded, but above said shoulder is provided with a thread, d', 'with which thread eugages the nut I. The nut I is provided with lateral projections or wingsi i. The back plate of the upper clamp two hooks, K K, which hook under the wings on the nut I, whereby said upper clamp may be readilyattached to or detached from said nut, so that the upper clamp, which is Very light, may be attached to the upper end of the belt, and the screw and other clamp hung thereon before attaching the lower clamp to the belt, and so after both clamps are attached to the belt the upper clamp may be u'nhooked from the nut and the nut turned on the screw by the fingers near] y to position before the upper clamp is attached thereto. In use one end of the belt is inserted between thejaws of one of the clamps and the other end between the jaws of the other clamp, the clamps being tightened ou the belt by turning up the handlc-nuts, and the belt is then The opening in the yoke is as wide as any belt v has cast thereon or otherwise secured thereto IOO stretched sufficiently by turning the screw by means of the pawl-lever and ratchet until the ends of the belt meet in front of the opening of the yoke. If necessary, the ends of the belt are cut to shorten the belt, the belt's said ends meanwhile resting against a board placed between the front of the yole and the belt, and the cutting being done by a sharpiknifc, so that if both ends are cut at once they will match, even if not cut at right angles to the sides of the belt. The lacing or other operf ation of uniting is performed at Ithe opening of the yoke, which leaves both faces of the belt accessible all the way across the belt.

I claim as my inVention- 1. The clamp herein described, consisting of two jaws, one of which jaws is provided near one side thereof with a screw-threaded stud rigidly secured to the inner face thereof at right angles thereto, and with another screwthreaded stud pivoted to said jaw at the other side thereof, and the other of which jaws is provided with a hole to receive said pivoted stud, and is adapted to turn on said pivoted stud, and is also provided with a slot to,rece ive said fixed stud, and nuts turning on said studs against the outer face of said last-named jaw, as and for the purposc specified.

A2. The clamp herein dcscribed, consisting of two jaws transversely corrugated, one of which jaws is provided near one side thereof with a screW-.threaded stud rigidly sccured to I the inner face thereof at right angles thereto, and with another screw-threaded stud pivoted to said jaw at the other side thereof, and the other of which jaws is provided with a hole to receive said pivoted stud, and is adapted to turn on said pivoted stud, and is also provided with a slot-to receive said fixed stud, and nuts turning on said studs against the outer face of said last named jaw, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the screw, the clarnp swiveled to the end thereof, a nut turning on said screw and provided with wings, and another clamp provided with hooks adapted to engage with said wings, as and for the purpose specified.

4. The combination of the screw, a clamp swiveled to an end thereof, a nut turning on said screw and provided with wings, another clamp provided with hooks adapted to en-V gage with said wings, a ratchetwheel secured to said screw, a loose collar surrounding and turning on said screw, and a pawl-lever having a pawl adapted to engage with said ratchct, as and for the purpose specified.

5. The combination of the screw, a clamp provided with a yoke having a central opening as wide as the widest belt which said clamp is adapted to receive, said yoke being swiveled to said screw, a nut turning on said screw, and another clamp, said last-'named clamp and the nut being adapted to engage with each other, as and for the purpose specified.

HERBERT H. SAVTELLE.

W'itnesscs:

ALBERT M. Moonn, HERBERT R. VVHITE. 

